


Harry Potter and the Disappearance of a Slytherin

by Ideaspark



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:20:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26709664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ideaspark/pseuds/Ideaspark
Summary: Draco Malfoy goes back to Hogwarts for his eighth year. Does he want to? Not especially. Is it better than staying at the Manor? Most certainly. When he arrives however, his hopes for a quiet year are shattered when strange and upsetting happenings take off around him. He feels uneasy wherever he is and by this point he really does wish he could go home. However with the help of both old and new friends, maybe they can find the cause of all this. Before it's too late of course...
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Kudos: 6





	Harry Potter and the Disappearance of a Slytherin

Draco Malfoy stood on the edge of platform 9 ¾ where the Hogwarts Express was meant to arrive shortly. Truthfully though, he would have much rather been standing in a corner, away from the suspicious looks of parents waiting with their children. However, the intimidating Auror behind him seemed to have no intention of letting him find comfort in the shadows. He was a scruffy man in what Draco would guess was about his sixties. His long leather trench coat looked worse for wear and the hat and boots on his feet didn't look much better. The Wizengamot had assured Draco he was the best of the best however and he didn't doubt it. The man may have looked old but his height was probably over 180cm, and his build, although hidden mostly under his coat, was certainly very fit.

Draco yawned. Why he had had to arrive so early in the first place was beyond him, but here he was reguardless. Normally when arriving on the platform, he would be with his mother and father, only arriving maybe about 15 minutes before the train had to leave. This time though, the Auror watching him had arrived an hour before they had to actually go, not saying a thing but simply indicating it was time to leave. And so Draco, despite his better judgement, had had no choice but to follow the silent, intimidating Auror. Fortunately for him, he had packed the night before.

Finally the Hogwarts Express arrived and Draco was ushered inside to one of the many empty carriage compartments. The Auror, once seeing that Draco had arranged his trunk satisfactorily overhead, took a seat across from him. Draco felt like he would go mental. The Wizengamot seemed to trust him as much as they would trust a niffler with their family vaults. They seemed to think if they left him alone for a moment his evil urges would take over and Draco would automatically begin cursing students left and right. It could have been worse though, he supposed. If not for the help of a certain scar headed savior, Draco would probably have never even been allowed out of the Manor to begin with. Out of anything, he certainly didn't want to be couped up there with his mother and their memories. His father, whom of which was now locked up in Azkaban for 50 years, was in a far worse state than either of them.

Before he could get too drawn into his thoughts, Draco became distracted by the noise of other students streaming through the tight aisle of the carriage. When more than one group passed by Draco's compartment with whispers, wide eyes, and more than a few scowls, the Auror stood and pulled the blinds for the door. He felt he ought thank him but was far too awkward to say anything. Draco had always been bad at that sort of thing anyway. Thanking people and whatnot. It certainly wasn't something he was in habit of doing considering his upbringing. Probably another thing to work on while he un-evilafied himself or whatever the Wizengamot expected him to do.

Throughout the train ride the compartment was almost unbearably silent and Draco wished he had thought to take one of his books out of his trunk before heading off, but unfortunately it had not crossed his mind with everything else going on. And he definitely didn't want to make any kind of scene getting one out now. The man across from him did little more than sit there silently watching. So Draco had to compromise with picking at loose threads in the upholstery of his seat, or simply staring out the window.

At first it seemed like a fairly bright day. The sun was out with fluffy clouds dotted here and there in the blue, blue sky. But as time went on, the sky darkened into a far more dense grey cover. On the window glass came the tap tap tapping of occasional water droplets that soon got harder and more often. On occasion there was lightning, cutting through the dense rain and showing off the wet Irish countryside, but from inside the train he could not hear the boom of thunder. The ambiance allowed Draco's mind to wander from one subject to another, not all of them pleasant, few of them nice. He recalled the letter that had been brought into his room by the family house elf Pipsy.

> _Dear Mr Draco Malfoy,_
> 
> _We are pleased to announce the continuation of your school days. Due to unforeseen events last year, a formal decision was made to allow the seventh year students to attend for additional schooling. We are hoping that you will take this opportunity to do finish your education as it will greatly benefit you in the future. We await your owl no later than 31 July. Term begins 1 September._
> 
> _Your's sincerely,_
> 
> _Filius Flitwik_
> 
> _Deputy Headmaster_

This eighth year apparently was supposed to be a time of change and healing for students. For Draco however it was simply a time of punishment. He wasn't given a choice and was being forced back to a school where he had been forced to preform unforgivable curses on fellow students. Where he was reminded that no one liked him and would probably never really like him ever again. Somehow though, it was still better than being at the Manor.

While these thoughts swam through his head, and the rain battered on, something small sounded outside of the compartment. A creak of the old train floors. Draco would have simply ignored it if not for the fact that the Auror tensed suddenly. He hadn't moved much in the time they were in there so seeing him almost reanimate startled Draco. The large Auror stood slowly, his head almost brushing the ceiling of the compartment. Surprisingly quietly with his wand drawn, he crept over to the door where the shade was still pulled. Another little creak sounded outside and the shade was quickly pulled up.

Nothing.

There was nothing outside.

He opened the door and looked up and down the hall for good measure. Evidently however, he saw nothing of significance so he came back inside, making sure to pull the blind down once again. Draco was confused and slightly concerned. There was every possibility that some student had been dared into peeking in on the ex-deatheater as some joke. It made him feel all the more ashamed at the possibility that all he was now was something to gawk at. The evil boy who other students dared each other to mess with. Eventually he was able to block out those feelings and settled back to his thinking, staring out the window once more. Not that there was much to see anymore as it was so dark except for the reflected lights of the compartment on the raindrops that slid down the glass.

When they finally arrived at the Hogwarts train station, the rain had stopped and the moon was in the sky, shining a brilliant yellow through the clouds that still lingered. Draco took his luggage down and after waiting for as many students as possible to pass by first, he left his compartment with the Auror following close behind. The train was mostly empty by now and most students had already left for the buggies so leaving without being looked at too much was much easier than it would have been otherwise. As soon as Draco reached his own buggy, the Auror that had been watching over him silent the whole way placed a large hand on his shoulder making Draco face him confused.

"Take care," the Auror said, in a quiet but deep voice. Draco just nodded in return after a moment, and then hoisted himself up, his trunk already having been placed on a trolly to be taken up to the castle.

He tried mostly to ignore the skeletal horse like creatures that pulled them forward. Draco had never seen them before but he at least knew they were thestrals. He sort of wished he couldn't see them. Along with the thestrals, he tried to ignore the one other passenger . Another slytherin student whom he didn't recognize but continued to stare at him unabashed the entire way. He was getting rather tired of being looked at.

When they finally arrived, Draco let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, but just as soon as he started to relax he tensed up once again as he entered the castle. Here there were some students still milling around. Inside there was no darkness to hide him so he felt uncomfortably exposed. Draco held his head high as he dared however and walked forward, up the stairs and to the dining hall.

A few more students were trickling in as he entered and the conversation stayed as loud as it had before, but he still could feel the gazes of everyone come to rest on him. He shuffled slowly inside, trying to pretend that no one was talking about or looking at him. Finding a seat at the slytherin table wasn't as easy as he had hoped. Honestly he would rather have not been there in the first place, but eventually he settled down in a spot in front of Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini. He noticed their gazes focus on him immediately and he felt quite awkward. He felt his face heat up a touch from shame almost, and so he simply gazed down at his plate, his hands folded crisply in front of him.

"It's good to see you Draco," Pansy said, making him feel somewhat relieved. She sounded genuine at least, maybe someone didn't hate him completely.

"I'd say it's good to see you too except for the fact that you look bloody awful. What are those under your eyes, a new fashion statement?" Blaise joked but when Draco looked up at him, he looked happy to see him.

None of them had been able to keep up any kind of correspondence after the war. Draco's family had been automatically thrust into court sessions and such, Blaise and his mother had set off to France for the time, while Pansy had taken her own mini holliday to somewhere in Belgium while her parents had stayed. Draco had written letters of apology to everyone he could think of, but he hadn't received a single letter back. Not that he had blamed any of them. They had been required and he wasn't used to apologizing, so the letters probably sounded bad.

"Yes," Draco decided to reply "It's my new autumn collection, I call it insomnia ruined my dream journal. I think it would really suit you Zabini."

"Well everything looks good on me anyway so I suppose you're right Malfoy"

"Speaking of collections," Pansy piped in, "Our favorite Gryffindors seem to have come back this year as well." Draco had been trying to avoid looking over to where he knew the golden trio sat. He had sent letters to all three of them and he wasn't too excited to be seeing them again. Somehow they bothered him more now, than they ever had any other year.

"Of course they have, stubborn bastards. You could tell them they're not allowed back and they'd find a way in anyway." Blaise supplied, earning nods of agreement from the other two.

"I personally find it quite fantastical how many people came back, you'd think parents would protest after everything but apparently not." Draco had noticed how full the hall was earlier when he was tring to find a seat. They all stayed silent for a moment thinking. 

"Well at least this is better than Belgium," Pansy groaned, "It was absolutely and completely dull the entire time. It was like walking around a giant version of Hogwarts except without the magic and more chocolate. I've eaten so much it of I must have gained three or four stone."

"Oh yes," mocked Draco, "Sounds completely horrid, nothing to like there at all." Pansy bat at him from across the table and Blaise snorted at them.

"You're supposed to console me on my weight gain."

"I would except for the fact that you look exactly the same Pansy." Which wasn't entirely true. She looked tired. Not as tired as Draco probably did, but still tired. As did Blaise despite the fact that normally he looked perfect, with every hair in its place.

Eventually the hall was called to attention when the first years came through. The sorting hat sang a song it had composed about house unity and pushing forward. They were sorted and after Professor Mcgonagall gave her own speech about roughly the same thing, the feast began. There were all sorts of dishes from pies to puddings, but Draco wasn't feeling particularly hungry. He had certainly missed the food there, sure, however he ended up with nothing more than a simple few brussel sprouts and a small piece of chicken. The pumpkin juice didn't do much for him either so he left with having had only a few sips.

Throughout the feast he chatted with Blaise and Pansy. They both described their trips in varying detail. Apparently Blaise had messed around with more than one girl but none of them had lasted more than a week. Where as Pansy had spent most of her time alone site seeing and surprisingly writing a book, of which she refused to show either of them. Finally it was time to head to the dorms and despite the staring and whispers he got from students around him, Draco was feeling rather hopeful that this year could be quiet. He went to sleep that night, and for the first time in a while, slept without dreaming.

The next morning started out quiet. Draco's dorm room slowly coming awake peacefully. That peace however was quickly disturbed by the sound of Draco himself falling out of bed, rushing to the wash room, and promptly throwing up all of what little he had eaten last night. It would seem his year would not be a quiet one after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I wonder what it was that made our Draco so very sick. One can only hope that it's not something that could hurt him... Anymore anyway


End file.
